


Start Feeling Invincible

by TheLittleSongbird



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Canon-Typical Violence, Delinquent Keith, Interns & Internships, M/M, Photographer Shiro, Photography Major Keith, Spider-Man!Keith, Spider-Man!Shiro, Spider-Verse AU, Two spiders fall in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 21:21:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17251604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLittleSongbird/pseuds/TheLittleSongbird
Summary: While on a mission to get a picture of Spider-Man in action, Keith accidentally gets bitten by a Quintessence Spider, forever changing his DNA and cementing his role to become New York's next superhero.Two Spider-Men on the streets of New York is one thing, but Keith wasn't expecting to start crushing on his fellow hero. Especially when he'salsocrushing on the guy at his internship with the Daily Atlas.The Spider-Verse AU nobody asked for, but dammit, I'm gonna write it.





	Start Feeling Invincible

**Author's Note:**

> I've seen Into the Spider-Verse three times and I needed to write an AU that incorporates both Spider-Verse and PS4's Spider-Man. That's my only excuse for this. It's completely, 100% self-indulgent.

The lights of Times Square twinkle like neon starlight. The air cold and crisp -- the first frost of autumn settling over the city, drowning out the sound of taxis and cars. It smells like it might snow tonight.

Shiro crouches at the top of the Westin, looking down at the passersby and tourists below. The neon of the neighboring marquee flash and reflect off the white lenses of his suit. The streets are bustling, but from this height, it’s quiet. No trouble. Yet.

“Not a lot of action tonight, huh?” Matt’s voice is tinny across the comm.

“Yeah.”

“Y’know, you could go off patrol tonight. Busting Kingpin last night’s gonna scare off a lot of robbers from making moves. And we’ve got a beat on Ezor going -- she’s not going to strike that Alchemex plant until Thursday. Why don’t you let the PD handle any stragglers tonight?”

“I don’t mind it, Matt. Seriously.”

Shiro shifts his weight, swinging his legs over the building to dangle over the edge. He leans back into his hands, staring up into the starless sky above him. Only in the outer boroughs can Shiro get a glimpse of the night sky -- Manhattan simply has too much light pollution for anything besides the moon to shine through. He was meant to leave this city. That was the plan -- study at the best university to get a job at NASA, and work his ass off to get his spot on the exploration team. Pilot his first mission by 21. It was set in stone, and nothing was going to keep him from the stars.

And then there was that stupid spider. And his plan was decimated.

Shiro finds it almost ironic -- he went into astrophysics in order to travel the cosmos, explore the outer reaches of space, only to be grounded and permanently stuck in the one city where he could never fully see the night sky.

Fate has a cruel sense of humor.

“Oh, c’mon man,” Matt chimes in, “Didn’t you have a date with that one guy last week… what was his name?”

Shiro shakes his head, but laughs all the same. “Curtis.”

“Yeah! Him! You should call him up, go get a drink. Maybe get a little something more, you know what I’m sayin’....” Shiro can practically see Matt’s eyes wiggling in suggestion from his computer in his dark apartment.

“I don’t know… he seemed… ugh, I’m not sure. I just don’t know if there’s anything there, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it. But listen, everyone’s kinda a limp noodle on the first date. Trying to impress the other person, be their best self. I’m sure if you went out with Curtains again, it would be a lot less stressful. More relaxed, for both of you.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right”

“I’m always right, man. That’s why I’m your guy in the chair.” 

Shiro sighs and pulls out his phone. He scans through his most recent texts to the string of numbers belonging to Curtis. He hadn’t really put his name into his contact list yet -- it was a level of commitment Shiro wasn’t quite ready for after a first date.

But why shouldn’t he? Curtis was… easy. Simple. Unassuming, lacking in adventure. Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, in Shiro’s opinion. Hell, his life is definitely exciting enough for the two of them. Maybe simple is enough. Maybe easy is what he needed after what happened with…

His prosthetic seizes minutely, forcing a pained hiss from between Shiro’s teeth.

“Shiro? You good?”

Shiro nods, even though Matt can’t see him. He flexes his right hand, trying to force the fuzzy feeling that crawls up to his shoulder to leave. He breathes in the cold New York air, feels the rough concrete beneath his skin.

_ Stay in the moment. Don’t go back there. _

“I’m good,” Shiro breathes out after a moment. He tucks his phone away, text forgotten, and leans down to scan Times Square again. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“Okay.” Matt’s voice is quiet, hesitant. He doesn’t believe him. That’s fine. Matt knows Shiro well enough to know when to actually put his foot down and intervene in Shiro’s life choices. Now was not the time.

Shiro’s comm beeps, signalling an incoming call. “It’s Krolia,” Matt mentions, patching her through.

Shiro hops up from his place on the rooftop, bending his knees to work the blood flow back into his legs.

“Spider-Man.” Krolia’s tone is clipped and formal. Shiro smiles; in the eight years since they started working together, she still insists on a professional tone at all times.

“Krolia. Long time, no see,” Shiro quips, stretching out his back from sitting so long, “How’s my favorite detective?”

“I’m the  _ only _ detective that’s willing to put up with you, so I don’t think favoritism has anything to do with it.”

“You wound me. The NYPD love me.”

“Uh-huh. That’s why I’ve got twelve separate APB’s sitting on my desk with your handsome mask all over them.”

Shiro smirks. “You think I’m handsome? I’m flattered.”

“Can we focus? I’ve got an ongoing robbery on 27th and Lexington. Looks like a bunch of small fries for the most part, but they’ve taken a hostage.”

“And you need me sneak in there and kick some bad guy ass?”

“No. My guys have it under control. I just need you to get the hostage out safely. You got that?”

Shiro pouts, “Aw, c’mon Krolia. You know I can take those guys out one handed.”

“Nope, not this time, Spider-Guy. Hostage only. We’ll handle the rest.”

“Ugh,  _ fine. _ But if things escalate?”

Krolia pauses over the comm. Shiro can hear her groaning on the other line.

“If they try anything funny, then you can web ‘em up. But  _ only  _ if it looks like it’s getting dicey, okay?”

Shiro salutes playfully, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Now get a move on, Spider-Man. Don’t make me regret calling you.” 

“I’ve got it hand--” Click. Shiro frowns. “She hung up on me! I can’t believe she hung up on me!”

Matt chuckles on his end. “God, I love that woman. You think she’s single?”

“ _ Matt.” _

“Kidding! Pulling up security feed for 27th and Lex. I’ll patch you into the audio feed when you get closer. Good luck, Spider-Man.”

The comm clicks off, and Shiro breathes in the city air once more. 

Twenty blocks down, five over. Easy.

With a last exhale, he leaps off of the building.

Pulling his arms close, Shiro lets his body go into freefall, slicing through the cold air towards the New York streets below. As the taxis, marquees, and stores grow closer, Shiro presses his web-shooter, aiming for the next building downtown. The web shoots out like a bullet and hit its target, pulling Shiro into a swing across the span of Times Square. 

As he passes, Shiro hears the startled cries and exuberant cheers of the New Yorkers around him, excited screams of “Spider-Man! Look, it’s Spider-Man!” trailing him as he swings into the concrete jungle before him. The neons lights paint patterns of colors across his white and black suit, Shiro a technicolor blur through the crowds of onlookers. He pulls himself out of the swing, propelling himself forward and shooting his next web further downtown, pistoning back and forth between skyscrapers towards his destination.

Swinging from building to building, the wind and noise of New York whistling in his ears in a cacophonous symphony, Shiro smiles to himself. If this was all he had, if this was the best he could possibly do, then he would take it. If this was the closest he’d ever get to his dream, Shiro wouldn’t complain. 

Because at the end of the day, it was the closest thing to flying.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> While writing chapter 1 I caught a bunch of typos and also decided to switch tenses for this fic. So the Prologue is now updated with the correct tense.


End file.
